Gerald Stern

Gerald Stern (1925-2022) was an acclaimed American poet, essayist, and educator, best known for collections like Lucky Life (1977), The Red Coal (1981), and This Time: New and Selected Poems (1998), the latter winning the National Book Award for Poetry. Born in Pittsburgh to Jewish immigrant parents, he received numerous honors including the Ruth Lilly Prize, Wallace Stevens Award, and serving as New Jersey's first Poet Laureate (2000-2002), while teaching at institutions like the Iowa Writers' Workshop.